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The Honorable Martin Schulz writes well but is begging the question. He writes about "stemming the tide of populism and pulling Europe back from the brink". Yet the issue can just as, if not more, accurately be defined as stemming the tide of totalitarian, authoritarian political correctness that threatens to destroy four hundred years of enlightenment culture.

That evolution defined a culture of tolerance, openness and a market place of ideas that led to progress in all phases of society. The left, and the European Center now embraces intolerance, old habits of hatred, suppression of opposing opinion and a bunch of other ideas that will lead us into a new Dark Age. So I posit that Europe, and the US, need to define principles and boundaries that will take us forward instead of choosing which extreme we will follow

Like it or not liberalism has been tried and liberalism has failed. Liberalism can not defend Europe’s borders from the tidal wave of economic migrants washing over them. Liberalism can not stop imported sexual predators from attacking Europe’s women. Liberalism can not stop terrorism, homegrown and imported from washing Europe’s streets in blood. Liberalism can not liberate Europe from the economic disaster of the Euro.

Liberalism is the defining ideology of the failed cosmopolitan elite of Europe. It is an ideology of failure for everyone who doesn’t live in a gated community. It has brought misery and ruin in its wake. The people of Europe have repeatedly voted against the designs of the cosmopolitan elite (the Netherlands 2005, France 2005). The response has always been to impose the elite consensus on the people of Europe no matter what.

The time has come to overthrow the liberalism of the cosmopolitan elite and restore Europe’s borders, safe streets, and Democracy.

The latest development in this farce is for the EU to move a step closer to effectively pushing Greece out of the Schengen area by de facto strengthening border control at the Northern Greek border. Whilst this is inevitable in the face of the impossibility of control the fragmanted and disipersed Greek sea border (with its 2000+ islands) coupled with the ineffective recruitment of Turkish as freelance bouncers; the fact remains it is a highly dubious move in terms of the Schengen agreement and with regards to Greeces self determination. Yet again we see the EU failing to act as a Union. The EU action is on par with the USA deciding it will control the Mexico border by blockading the Northern Arizona state line. As this border block will in all likelihood simply deflect at least some the landing point to Italy and Spain, Italy and Spain had better watch out. At present Greece is heading towards becoming a giant processing and internment camp

If Mr. Schulz had any sense of the most urgent needs of the EU, then he would spend 80% of his time and energy on organizing an EU-wide understanding of the most agreeable constitutional order of the union. He seems to realize that 'USE', a federal state, is not what the vast majority of the European elites and the European population want. History, languages, cultures, and democratic experience of the European people constitute different national identities. On top of that there can only be some form of Confederation that is understandable and that delivers what the nation states, large and small, cannot deliver. The Swiss concept maybe the most useful to think of. Most importantly, there is no place for a European Parliament, as a primary legislative chamber, in competition to national parliament. What is the EU-Parliament today should be sized down to the equivalent of an Upper House, some conceptual proximity to the US-Senat, as a chamber of states, where a small number of senators, 3-5 per country, are directly and personally elected by their constituents - no party lists, no delegation of legislators by the executives, even the nominations need primaries. Even if the implementation of a European Confederation may take 4-8 years, the EU can only break apart with the Treaty of Lisbon and the current muddle.

{With political disenchantment reaching levels not seen since the continent’s darkest times in the 1930s, the risk that Europe will succumb to the destructive forces of populism looms ever larger.}

I frankly don’t think that will happen.

There is a real crisis, and Europe probably deserves it. It’s policy decision-making is largely run by unelected officials at Berlaymont in Brussels, who are beholden to in-office politicians back in their own country. This latter group have a VERY parochial view of the world (limited by national boundaries) So, they are just reflections of national attitudes to whatever political strife or economic vagary occurs.

This latest Refugee Crisis shows that clearly. With only one state taking the lead to “do something” and the rest assuring their constituencies that they will “do nothing”. This is not the right and proper way to effect EU-wide leadership in what is an evidently communal problem.

At the very least, it is the legislature in Strasbourg that should be pulling the decisional strings, and not the “unelected officials” in Brussels. In a word, the EU has yet to institute Real Democracy; that is a legislature and either a dependent PM (based upon party leadership in numbers) or a separately elected President.

Given the non-practicability of melding all the parties in Strasbourg into Left, Right and Center blocks, it would seem evident that a pan-European election of a President would provide the correct solution. (But, to get anything done in Strasbourg would require nonetheless the formation of “blocks” in order to vote through pan-EU legislation.)

I am fond of the latter, because – if anything – the American experience teaches us that the “separation of powers” is a fundamental characteristic of a functional democracy. Or, power resides in the parliamentary head – who is NOT elected by all the EU-constituents – just those from his/her country.

America’s “separation of powers” amongst the Legislature, Executive and Judiciary shows how an effective governance can function. All that is needed is a set of laws that prohibit voting from becoming infected by BigMoney Plutocrats as has occurred in the US.

I do think that all the problems on this planet are human-caused problems, which means we can solve them. All it takes is a broadly acceptable vision that the majority can buy-into, and the political will to make it happen.

Likely with the best of intentions, European politicians keep 'painting themselves into a corner' therefore, they keep getting 'trapped' within their own constructs.

(We 'can't' do this, because of this. And we 'can't' do that, because of that. Can't, can't, can't, isn't leadership, it's a cop-out)

And by continuing to employ the same thinking that got them into their present dilemma(s) they veer dangerously towards failure of the EU, and of the EuroZone.

Like you, I don't think that dissolution will occur. However, if the present structural and systemic problems of the EU aren't fixed, all the window-dressing in the world won't fix the flaws and the EU will always fail to live up to its full potential. Which is exactly what we're seeing now.

With those caveats aside, I still feel hopeful over the long term for a free, fully democratic and strong EU, one that works for the benefit of all its citizens. And sets a fine example to the world.

Europe's political problems are minuscule when compared to the problems faced by WWI leaders, and likewise by interwar period leaders, and WWII leaders, and the problems faced by Europe's leaders during the immediate postwar and Cold War periods.

Those leaders rose to the occasion and met the challenges of their day. As our generation of leaders must rise to meet the challenges of our time.

Fixing the structural and systemic problems in the EU will be a big challenge, of that there is no doubt.

But that is the challenge of our time, and that is the work to be done. Europe's politicians must rise to meet that challenge and succeed -- doing so 10-years from now will be too late.

Windows of Opportunity will soon be closing. Convenient or not, the time to fix the EU's internal problems is now.

If we humans created those problems (and we did) then we can solve them. All we need is an acceptable vision and the will to act.

Martin Schulz, president of the European Parliament hopes that political leaders will pull Europe back "from the brink", saying they should "provide an inspiring and forward-looking vision to their people". The current "disenchantment" is unprecedented, which reminds him of "the continent’s darkest times in the 1930s", posing "the risk that Europe will succumb to the destructive forces of populism". He is worried about how Eurosceptics chang the direction of Europe.
Schulz had long been saying that the European Union was in a deep crisis, even before the wave of migrants flooded into Europe last summer. The truth is that the EU has been under enormous strain for the last few years. Amid the bailouts, austerity and rising unemployment some Europeans have come to see the EU as part of the problem, not the solution. The European elections in May 2014 saw more Eurosceptics elected to the parliament, thanks to continuing economic hardship for millions of Europeans and a much-criticised disconnect between EU institutions and voters.
Schulz was the centre-left Socialists' rival to Jean-Claude Juncker for the European Commission presidency. Juncker is a member of the European People's Party, which is one of the conservative parties and parties with other centre-right political perspectives. But the two are arch federalists and belong to Europe's most powerful advocates of more integration.
Schulz is an optimist, urging not "to give up hope", and he still believes that "Europe is well positioned to succeed in the long term". However he says politicians would need to "look at the big picture", instead of "struggling to cope with crises as they arise". He underscores the importance to "anticipate and address challenges, and to "inspire" again.
He may be out of tune with many Europeans' mood, when he said: "We need a strong united Europe". It is true that "Europeans today have largely not endured war and absolute economic deprivation". But they expect to be provided for, and are susceptible to "the dangers of demagoguery not embedded in their living memories. They are also "far more vulnerable to fear-mongering and false promises". Their fear and sense of insecurity have been exploited by nationalists and populists, who have stolen the votes from mainstream parties, which are forced to pander to their voters to "catch up with these destructive forces, engaging in EU-bashing of their own".
Given the circumstances, it is most unlikely that European leaders would "inspire their people to build a shared future", because their tenures are not long enough to make it happen. They are at their voters' mercy and shun any policy that requires long-term commitment, as they won't be able to reap what they sow.
Schulz says: "While we cannot know for certain what the next 10-20 years will bring, we have a few important clues. For one thing, there is the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which promises to transform our economies and societies in fundamental ways". But are people ready to face and deal with the new situation?

You can't expect to pull Europe back from the brink as long as the EU can't perform even the most basic functions. The Schengen zone, for most purposes, is a state. It has borders and EU law prevails, or is supposed to, within those borders. And yet the EU cannot and does not even control who travels across the Schengen border. The Greeks allow anyone to enter and any other state that tries to correct Greece's mistake is obstructed by EU "human rights" courts. Anyone from a third-world country in the Middle East or Africa can throw away his passport, enter, and abuse the system to his heart's content. The worse he behaves, the better it works, because the probable country of origin certainly won't want to take him back, and the EU won't make that country do so. Meanwhile, the EU is accepting such persons while failing to import those who could really add value. If Germany really has a labor shortage, it could get millions of lower-wage laborers from Ukraine and Georgia whose culture is entirely compatible with the EU, instead of people from the south who may have 5 children grow up on welfare and want to kill you. Or Europe could import 10 or 20 million Chinese whose children could actually raise your educational level in 20 years' time.

Work on basic functions of government, like being able to control who enters the country and who stays, and maybe you can graduate to more advanced things that a normal country can do.

And the great part for you, Mr. Schulz, as president of the European Parliament, and a senior member of one of the two political parties running Germany, is that you could actually do this in short order. If you cared at all to do so.

"Sixty years ago, with Europe’s economy reeling from the destruction caused by World War II, Europe’s leaders lifted their eyes above daily hardships to shape a more hopeful future, underpinned by European integration. That same vision and foresight is needed today, and the European Union, with its unmatched ability to facilitate regional cooperation, will remain essential."

European recovery from world war II was also helped greatly by the Marshall plan, in which the U.S. spent $13 billion on European reconstruction. That sort of generosity and far-sightedness is what is needed now. But it has been sorely lacking.

It would have been easy for the U.S. to tell Europe: "You made this mess, now fix it yourselves." Fortunately, they did not. That is why it was so distressing to observe the way in which the more fortunate countries of Europe approached the Greek debt crisis. Generosity could have solved that, and all of Europe would have benefited, just as the whole world benefited from the Marshall plan.

But another thing we can see from this situation is that no country is always good or always bad. Germany responded very badly to the Greek crisis, but very well to the Syrian refugee one. The U.S. responded very well to the European crisis after WWII, but went on to wreak havoc in countries from Vietnam to Iraq.

'It would have been easy for the U.S. to tell Europe: "You made this mess, now fix it yourselves."..'

Yes indeed, and that is what they did do - Keynes went cap in hand and was sent packing leaving the UK bust with war costs. The only reason the Marshall Plan came about was because of US paranoia about Europe slipping into the dreaded arms of Communism. The UK has only just cleared the mortgage with the US. The US does what suits the US in its self interest. It does not glad hand unless it suits its interest

The root cause of the treatment of Greece was a attempt to stop the euro collapsing because of the immediate at risk ledger costs to the main euro players. The action was undetaken in self interest by those parties

In a nutshell the US is an entity and the EU is not. The US is a fuly functioning common currency area with subsidy transfers active and the EU is not.

The US border control can be described as in place and working - the EU border control is nonexistant or internally shambolic

EU migrant control is sending a vessel to pick up migrants in international waters, akin to the US sending a bus into Mexico to pick up migrants stuck at the side of the road

How Mr Schulz as Pres of the EU Parliament can write so much nothing about major issues is beyond me

There is the usual derogatory references to what is in fact the majority voters being misguided. The arrogance is breathtaking

Mr Schulz's answer is to prophesise a biblical type vision that all should see when the problem is voters consider unsurprisingly that EU elite are detatched from reality

Would I buy shares in Mr Schulz prospectus. Nope its baloney. Far from parting the Sea to allow passage the waves are more likely to come rushing in, then Mr Schulz may start to discuss real issues rather than froth. But the one thing I am convince of is Mr Schulz will not talk sense until the situation is far more perilous

Until we continue our present blind, instinctive development things have to become very broken, truly painful before we start changing. We are still like a cancer patient hoping, deceiving oneself that one only caught a flu that will soon go away. Thus this patient only treats the symptoms instead of going to hospital to get a full checkup, receive the right diagnosis and appropriate treatment.

We keep talking about political or religious extremism rising, populist forces threatening "European Unity" when in fact those are simply symptoms, inevitable responses to much deeper problems.
These symptoms break out because the "immune system" the writer talks about is non-existent, the "common body of Europe" is like the "zombie" Frankenstein built, without true life, without true foundations, interconnections.

We came to believe "life" is about markets, financial institutions, we convinced ourselves "health" is measured by quantitative growth, GDP, stock market indexes etc. Thus Europe was built on common markets and financial institutions completely ignoring its people. They are simply consumers, debt takers.
The writer also builds his hopes on some new "Fourth Industrial Revolution" as if the previous ones did not cause enough damage already.

Einstein said the sign of insanity is when we keep trying to do the same foolish, failed things expecting different results. This is what humanity has been doing, especially in modern times, repeating the same stupid failed "solutions" going through inevitably recurring vicious cycles ending in explosions. We try going right, than left, then maneuver in the middle until we fall to far right and far left again until all hell breaks loose.

It is over 70 years since the last explosion, this cycle has been much shorter as we are very close to another violent break that might wipe all of us out. Probably it is time we snap out of our "instinctive selfish, egoistic and greedy mode" and start building a human society on completely new foundations, on "new, improved human beings".

We need people that could think and act above and despite of their inherent, instinctive urges, truly acting for the sake of the collective above self-interest not just paying it lip service. And such a fundamental "self-change" can only succeed with positive motivation. And positive motivation can only be achieved through a fundamentally new education program. This is what we need to implement if we want to survive not only in Europe but all over the world.

"DELIVER A COHERENT AND COMPELLING VISION"
Indeed it is the narrative that all debate must lead up to.
That defines the map of a future divorced from the revenge and rancours of history.
That allows Europe to chart a course parallel to The Anglosphere - in becoming the World Economic Epicenter.
That is a magnet that grows in size, requiring more people, rather than exporting migrants incessantly.
That is inclusive, enabling all to contribute, not based on quotas born of race religion region.
That does not have to negate anyone, but offer a positive growth paradigm.
That does not indulge in irredentism, given Europe's lust for redrawing boundaries forever.
That creates numerous growth nuclei within Europe - for balanced economic growth.
That creates Apollo and Apple - like America, taking Mankind forward.
That enables other geographically undeveloped regions a template that transforms.

And if it cannot find the narrative, there is no point in pursuing a "Construct" that becomes another destructive Goliath.
Like Napoleonic France, like Nazi Germany, like Soviet Russia.
Or worse, a combination of all three.

Mr. Shultz,
I do not want to be Belgium nationalist, or Finnish nationalist or Bulgarian nationalist.
I want to be European nationalist.
Every association, or organisation or State of peoples, is based on the conviction of its members that the respective organisation protect and fight for the rights of its members.
Being a Spanish citizen, if the Spanish State do not protect my property, my family, my physical integrity, I have the natural right to arm myself and fight against aggressor.
If the European State, or Union, or whatever it is, do not protect the rights of its European citizens, they are looking to the protection of the Nation States of the 20 century which give them more thrust.
The Europeans citizens of today do not feel they are protected. They feel ignored.

For a start Mr. Schulz, this article should not have been written out of Davos, it only reinforces the view that all of you are there for skiing and boozing. You, the German establishment and the German leadership, if really you have the EU project at heart; you should do the honorable thing and let others, who are more competent to lead.

I think, as a Social Democrat, you've to clean-up your own political house in EP & Berlin. A lot of mistakes have been made ever since EMU/EURO under Maastricht Treaty became law of the land (EU).
For example, when are you going to finally complete the Single Market (SM) and make it absolutely transparent in all sectors including services? How in the world can you talk about Davos nonsense (4th Industrial Revolution!) when EU digital market cannot be implemented because of lack of member-states intransigency & lack of macro transparency across SM?
It was a political error to expand to East before consolidating EMU/Euro in west. Current political brinkmanship is a result of political amnesia and/or myopia.

Europe's Elites Political & business have been telling the hourly wage earners to bend over and grab their ankles for at least the last 20 years. The only ones who have done well out of this are these same elites. The "Leadership" leads for it's own cozy group everyone else tough luck. The long term future for the EU unless the leadership stops representing the few's needs over the many is grim indeed.